Slou Saparovna Akimguereeva was born in Kazakstan. Despite trauma to her spine as a child, her mother enrolled her in gymnastic, swimming and dance classes to strengthen her. At the age of 9 she was accepted into the Almaty Ballet School where she trained for 8 years.

She studied under renowned classical teachers such as Lydia Rafailova from Moscow and Tamara Kosova from St Petersburg and in 1981 she graduated from the school with honors obtaining the qualification of Ballet Dancer.

She then decided to pursue a career in teaching and was accepted into the Moscow GITIS (now Russian Academy of Arts) and as an 18 year old she was the youngest student. During her time a GITIS she danced in many productions and in 1986 Slou obtained the Master of Ballet and Choreographer Diploma from GITIS, sanctioned by the State Qualification Board.

After Peristroika she went to Senegal with her husband Abdu Ndiegen and there she taught dancing, musical appreciation and art at an art school she established with her husband. In 2005, following the passing of her husband, Slou came to South Africa and joined the teaching staff of the Ballet School run under the auspices of The South African Ballet Theatre.

The Russian Ballet Academy has an international association for promising school leavers with the School of Classical Ballet in Miami, Florida under the headship of Vladimir Issaev.

VLADIMIR ISSAEV

Vladimir is director of the Vladimir Issaev’s School of Classical Ballet in Florida, USA & Arts Director of the Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida former Ballet Master of Ballet Nacional de Caracas – Teresa Carreño and Miami City Ballet School. He was born in Siberia, Russia, 1954. At the age of 11 he began his ballet studies at theChoreographic School of Voronezh, obtaining the degree of “Ballet Artist” in 1973.

He was born in Siberia, Russia, 1954. At the age of 11 he began his ballet studies at the Choreographic School of Voronezh, obtaining the degree of “Ballet Artist” in 1973.

As a Choreographer he has mounted several ballets in Russia, United States, Puerto Rico and Venezuela for the Choreographer School of Voronezh and Frounze, the Ballet School Teresa Carreño, Ballet Metropolitano de Caracas, Ballet Nacional de Caracas Teresa Carreño – Second Company and for the Ballet Nacional de Caracas Teresa Carreño itself, Ballet Concerto de Puerto Rico, Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, Miami City Ballet School, The Georgia Youth Ballet, The Vaganova Ballet Academy (Kirov) in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Among his many works we find: “Swan Lake”, II & IV Acts for Ballet Nacional de Caracas together with Mo. Vicente Nebrada, (I & III Acts); “Chipollino” (Music: Karen Kachaturian) two acts Ballet for Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, Ballet Juvenil de Venezuela and Georgia Youth Ballet and “Nutcracker Suites” for Ballet Nacional de Caracas -Second Company , The Ballet School of Teresa Carreño Cultural Center and Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, “The Seasons’ for The Vaganova Ballet Academy- Mariinsky Ballet.

The Russian Ballet Academy, accepts children from the age of 3. Here they can learn the skills of Vaganova Russian ballet and attend choreography classes. Madam Slou Akimguereeva is a Master of Ballet and Choreographer who trained under Tamara Kosova in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), who herself had been a student of the famous Agrippa Vaganova.

The Vaganova method is a technique derived from the teaching methods of the old Imperial Ballet School. Vaganova was to become one of the most renowned ballet teachers of all time, and is most noted for authoring “The Principles of Classical Dance.” The Vaganova method is evident in the technique of Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century.

Russian ballet is stooped in antiquity and technical purism. One cannot think of Russian ballet without pictures of excellence, quality, beauty and splendor, music, history and imperialism coming to mind.

Although Ballet did not begin in Russia, it is the place where Agrippina Vaganova perfected a method that has produced the world’s greatest dancers.

The Vaganova technique has only become available to the west in recent history and has at last made its way to South Africa.

Madam Slou Akimguereeva was trained by Tamara Kosova, a first hand student of the great Vaganova herself.

Ballet is an art passed down by mentoring and personal coaching. It is passed down generation to generation by mouth and personal instruction. Learning ballet from a book is as impossible as learning a language from a dictionary (although a training necessity) and so the Russian Ballet Academy of South Africa personally brings a direct lineage of training to our children’s hearts, minds and bodies.